After having such a successful and influential eighth grade year, I went into high school with a very positive attitude and a desire to do my very best. Unfortunately, my freshman year of high school was one that brought me down a few steps academically and emotionally. Entering a brand new school with 670 classmates and then having 2,100 other students in the school who were older, wiser, and knew their way around the school was a little overwhelming. Plus, the added pressure of needing to start your high school career off strong made my freshman year pretty stressful. I suffered through and from sophomore year and beyond became more adjusted to the work load and demands of high school. With the help of a few key teachers along the entire way, I shaped into a successful student. CT CT
Despite the difficulty I faced during my freshman year, I was blessed to be in one of the last classes taught by one of the greatest teachers my high school has had. She was my Honors English I teacher, and she encouraged me to continue exploring literature and language. She was one of the greatest teachers I’ve had. Her ability to keep every class interesting and engaging has been unsurpassed by any of my other teachers. Her class really got me interested in literature and language in a way that I was never exposed to before. The lessons I learned in her class will remain within me, I can only hope that I can be as good of a teacher as she was. In my career, I will strive to teach and keep my students as engaged as she had kept me. CT
But as great as my freshman year was, my sophomore year, was very confusing in terms of whether or not I should pursue a career in English Education. My English teacher that year, did not really have that much faith in my abilities. He questioned whether or not I would make a good English teacher. In his class, I was constantly trying to prove myself and could never really succeed in his eyes. At the end of the year, when we were being recommended for our classes for the next year, he would not recommend me for Advanced Placement English, despite me working very hard in order to convince him that I could handle it. At this point, I felt discouraged, I had to rethink my career choice. However, in my creative writing class, my teacher, who also happened to be the AP English teacher for seniors, had the complete opposite opinion on me. She was encouraging me to pursue this career choice. She thought I would be very successful in AP English my junior year, however, because my English teacher did not recommend me I could not be in that class. It was a strange experience to have a teacher that didn't believe in me. But another teacher thought that I would be not only a great AP student, but a great English teacher in the future. CT This conflict between opposing opinions caused me to rethink my career choice and also had me going into my junior year with a weakened view of my abilities. CT Walking through the halls on my first day of junior year, I was down on myself. I've been told that your performance in your junior year defines you. It was the year that I had to basically chose what I wanted to do with my life. The year I had to prove that I could be more than competent in that intended career. Lastly, it was the year that I had to excel in my Honors English class to not only prove to my sophomore teacher wrong, but to secure a seat in the coveted AP English class for seniors. I went above and beyond in my junior year English class. I sought to prove my worth, prove that I would be a great English teacher in the future. I participated nearly everyday and analyzed each piece of literature that we read so that I could make good comments in class. Ultimately, I proved myself in the form of our research paper. I wrote on one of the most complicated poets of all time with little sources that agreed with my thesis. I sought to prove a connection between Romanticism and Modernism using the works of Poe and Wallace Stevens. I had to analyze and relate on my own. I didn’t have a quote from the renowned critic, Harold Bloom, to back up my ideas. CT I was forced to analyze, support, and conclude all on my own. That paper was the hardest I have ever worked on a school assignment. In the end, I received the highest grade in my class and earned my seat in AP English IV. I didn’t seek all of this for the sake of proving to my sophomore teacher that I would be a good English student and teacher, I did it mostly to prove to myself that I could do anything I set my mind to. I wanted that seat in English, I worked harder than I ever have before in order to earn it, and in the end, I did. CT
Most people say that high school is the time that one finds themselves. They establish their identities within the confines of the narrow hallways and overcrowded classrooms. But, I knew what I wanted and I knew what I wanted to achieve the first day I walked into my high school. I did not have to find myself among 2,700 other students. I knew who I was, and I knew what I wanted. I spent high school proving to myself and to those who did not believe, that what I wanted was what I was meant to do. With the help of the teachers who believed in me, and the pressure of those who did not, I was able to succeed in high school. These were important lessons in my life. I learned that there will always be those who don’t believe in you, those who don’t think you can achieve more than just the average. It’s what you do about these comments that makes you. I could have chosen to hear the comments of the naysayers, and given up on myself. However, I chose to take those comments and make something of them. I chose to prove those people wrong and be successful. I expect, and even look forward to those who don’t believe in me. These are the people that push me to excel and be better that they could have ever imagined. CT
After having such a successful and influential eighth grade year, I went into high school with a very positive attitude and a desire to do my very best. Unfortunately, my freshman year of high school was one that brought me down a few steps academically and emotionally. Entering a brand new school with 670 classmates and then having 2,100 other students in the school who were older, wiser, and knew their way around the school was a little overwhelming. Plus, the added pressure of needing to start your high school career off strong made my freshman year pretty stressful. I suffered through and from sophomore year and beyond became more adjusted to the work load and demands of high school. With the help of a few key teachers along the entire way, I shaped into a successful student. CT CT
Despite the difficulty I faced during my freshman year, I was blessed to be in one of the last classes taught by one of the greatest teachers my high school has had. She was my Honors English I teacher, and she encouraged me to continue exploring literature and language. She was one of the greatest teachers I’ve had. Her ability to keep every class interesting and engaging has been unsurpassed by any of my other teachers. Her class really got me interested in literature and language in a way that I was never exposed to before. The lessons I learned in her class will remain within me, I can only hope that I can be as good of a teacher as she was. In my career, I will strive to teach and keep my students as engaged as she had kept me. CT
But as great as my freshman year was, my sophomore year, was very confusing in terms of whether or not I should pursue a career in English Education. My English teacher that year, did not really have that much faith in my abilities. He questioned whether or not I would make a good English teacher. In his class, I was constantly trying to prove myself and could never really succeed in his eyes. At the end of the year, when we were being recommended for our classes for the next year, he would not recommend me for Advanced Placement English, despite me working very hard in order to convince him that I could handle it. At this point, I felt discouraged, I had to rethink my career choice. However, in my creative writing class, my teacher, who also happened to be the AP English teacher for seniors, had the complete opposite opinion on me. She was encouraging me to pursue this career choice. She thought I would be very successful in AP English my junior year, however, because my English teacher did not recommend me I could not be in that class. It was a strange experience to have a teacher that didn't believe in me. But another teacher thought that I would be not only a great AP student, but a great English teacher in the future. CT This conflict between opposing opinions caused me to rethink my career choice and also had me going into my junior year with a weakened view of my abilities.
CT
Walking through the halls on my first day of junior year, I was down on myself. I've been told that your performance in your junior year defines you. It was the year that I had to basically chose what I wanted to do with my life. The year I had to prove that I could be more than competent in that intended career. Lastly, it was the year that I had to excel in my Honors English class to not only prove to my sophomore teacher wrong, but to secure a seat in the coveted AP English class for seniors. I went above and beyond in my junior year English class. I sought to prove my worth, prove that I would be a great English teacher in the future. I participated nearly everyday and analyzed each piece of literature that we read so that I could make good comments in class. Ultimately, I proved myself in the form of our research paper. I wrote on one of the most complicated poets of all time with little sources that agreed with my thesis. I sought to prove a connection between Romanticism and Modernism using the works of Poe and Wallace Stevens. I had to analyze and relate on my own. I didn’t have a quote from the renowned critic, Harold Bloom, to back up my ideas. CT I was forced to analyze, support, and conclude all on my own. That paper was the hardest I have ever worked on a school assignment. In the end, I received the highest grade in my class and earned my seat in AP English IV. I didn’t seek all of this for the sake of proving to my sophomore teacher that I would be a good English student and teacher, I did it mostly to prove to myself that I could do anything I set my mind to. I wanted that seat in English, I worked harder than I ever have before in order to earn it, and in the end, I did. CT
Most people say that high school is the time that one finds themselves. They establish their identities within the confines of the narrow hallways and overcrowded classrooms. But, I knew what I wanted and I knew what I wanted to achieve the first day I walked into my high school. I did not have to find myself among 2,700 other students. I knew who I was, and I knew what I wanted. I spent high school proving to myself and to those who did not believe, that what I wanted was what I was meant to do. With the help of the teachers who believed in me, and the pressure of those who did not, I was able to succeed in high school. These were important lessons in my life. I learned that there will always be those who don’t believe in you, those who don’t think you can achieve more than just the average. It’s what you do about these comments that makes you. I could have chosen to hear the comments of the naysayers, and given up on myself. However, I chose to take those comments and make something of them. I chose to prove those people wrong and be successful. I expect, and even look forward to those who don’t believe in me. These are the people that push me to excel and be better that they could have ever imagined. CT